Edward Cella Art + Architecture presents new works by Los Angeles based artist William Berry. Formerly a director, cinematographer, and editor in the entertainment business, Berry approaches the photographic medium much like he is making a feature narrative film. Citing the visual language of cinematography as his primary methodological and aesthetic influence the photograph is transformed through multiple exposures and digital manipulation resulting in an idealized image. Crafted from multiple points of views in a single photograph, the works blur the lines between what is artificial and real.
Berry’s extensive research on locations and situations reflect the impact of human occupation on earth and the detritus left behind. The process behind the work mimics the recreation of a scene in a diorama by altering the viewing experience within a constructed reality that captures a moment within a larger, inaccessible event. Multiple photographic capturing of the site is digitally combined to create a seamless experience. The artist acknowledges that one of the specificities of digital technology is to create a more idealized perfection of the image—an artificial or hyper- real reality. Unplanned Obsolescence, shot on location in the desert communities of California, reveals that the American dream is surrealistic in its reality.
William Berry completed his studies at the American Film Institute. For the past thirty years he has used his multiple talents working in film and television as a screenwriter, director, editor and music producer. Previously, he lived in the Washington D.C. area where he studied photography, filmmaking and painting at the Corcoran School of Art, and made commercial documentaries for such respected institutions as USIA, National Geographic and the Smithsonian Institute. Berry was born in the coal mining community of Southern Illinois. After his father joined the Foreign Service as an African specialist, Berry spent most of his childhood traveling throughout Europe and Africa, an experience that continues to influence his work.
William Berry: Unplanned Obsolescence
From June 22 to August 3, 2013
Edward Cella Art+Architecture
6018 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
USA
Tuesday though Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm, and by appointment
P 323.525.0053
